Triangular Dipyramid Light Modules

by lxfmm888instructables in Craft > Cardboard

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Triangular Dipyramid Light Modules

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Create your own paper board + fabric reconfigurable modular light today!

Basic stuff you need: Cuttable paper board (Bristol for example), copper tape, conductive fabric, cell battery and holder, *sticky-back fabric, *conductive ink.

Measurement

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Use pencil, ruler, as well as the help from a bow compass or protractor to draw equilateral triangles as in the picture (3 in each side, for example). Plan where to have tabs for gluing.

* How to draw a equilateral triangle -- http://www.wikihow.com/Draw-an-Equilateral-Triangle

Cut Out W/ TABS

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Find mid-points of bottom four edges (We want to leave a triangular hole here). Slightly nick through folding lines (don't cut through) and cut through the outline with planned tabs for gluing as in the picture.

Adding Textures

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Cut some sticky-back fabrics or other materials as you like, and glue them onto the bottom three areas.

Small Cutout

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Cut out another piece with three equilateral triangles w/ a tab as big as the cutout for the hole of last step (1.5 in each side, for example). Use Elmer's glue to attach your cell battery holder onto the middle.

Attach LED

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Fold and glue the tab to the outside of the tri-triangle shape, and place LED on top of it (+/- direction matching the battery holder's, but not connected).

Copper Tape and Cold Soldering

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We are to create a broken circuit: use copper tapes to connect + with its corresponding battery holder pole. Negative pole of the LED and the other battery pole are extended by copper tape folded to the outside of the hole. Then cold solder connecting points between copper tapes, the LED, and the battery holder with conductive ink.

Close the Form

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Glue the bottom of the outer form along with the inner form together, with tabs of the outer form covering the circuits happening on the inner form. Use a stick to force tabs to go along with the inner form if necessary (your finger probably won't reach that gap) so that they are glued well together. Then close the top part of the outer form (Gently work tabs and edges together, hold the edges if necessary; try not to squeeze the unstable-yet edges).

Make Another!

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Wrap the top of your module with conductive fabric... And there you have it. Your very own DIY paper board light modules. Switch positions to play around!